Book Review - The Pomegranate – Botany, Production and Uses

Abstract

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L., family: Punicaceae) is one of the oldest known edible fruits and is associated with the ancient civilizations of the Middle East. This is the first comprehensive book covering the botany, production, processing, health and industrial uses of the pomegranate. The cultivation of this fruit for fresh consumption, juice production and medicinal purposes has expanded more than tenfold over the past 20 years. Presenting a review of pomegranate growing, from a scientific and horticultural perspective, this book provides information on how to increase yields and improve short- and medium-term grower profitability and sustainability. It covers: practices to mitigate pests, diseases and abiotic stresses; yield-based nutrition management; cultural practices for cultivars with horticultural traits such as earliness, high yield, improved taste, soft seeds, disease resistance, and low splitting and sunscald rates; increasing crop diversity to aid crop security; and composition, food uses and medicinal applications.

This book provides a valuable support not only for farmers and for people involved in the pomegranate industry but it can be recommended without any reservation to plant breeders, plant physiologists, food technologists and chemists to obtain comprehensive information on the current state of knowledge of this important fruit species.

The book starts by providing a detailed overview about archaeology, history and symbolism of pomegranate plants. Subsequent sections deal mainly with the taxonomy, propagation and breeding of pomegranates. Furthermore, the environmental requirements, different harvest methods, various plant diseases and their individual management, postharvest biology, optimal storage conditions and bioactive compounds are discussed in detail on a high scientific level. A number of scientific articles are listed in each annex of the 18 sections, allowing readers to obtain more detailed information on the individual topics.

Ali Sarkhosh, Alimohammad M. Yavari, Zabihollah Zamani, The Pomegranate – Botany, Production and Uses, CAB International 2020, 578 pages including bibliographical references and index, price: 176,00 €, ISBN: 978-1-78924-076-4 (hardcover).